Image via WikipediaWe left the house in the evening after supper to walk the block and a half to the theater, Daddy. Momma, and me. Daddy still wore the suit he had worn to the bank all day. Momma was dressed nicely, though not elabrately, and I wore ordinarly play clothes. Though this was not a special event, seeing a movie always held the potential for a rare experience. There were always the cartoon shorts. We waved at friends and neighbors on the way. I always enjoyed dragging a stick on the picket fence of Dr. Henderson's back yard. I was not really a graceful child, and Momma fused at me to hold my shoulders back.
We never owned a car, so there was nothing unusual about walking to town. It was a pleasant ritual. Late evening was a time to relax and enjoy mental stimulation, and Jimmy Cagney or Clark Gable, Carol Lombard or Marlene Dietrich were glad to provide it for a price. An adult ticket was $.35 and a child ticket was $.12. Counting the 5 cents each for a bag of popcorn, it would have cost almost a dollar for us to go to the movie. There was a one element I have not accounted for: Daddy was an accountant, and he kept the books for the theater owner, so she never charged him for going to the movie. We got a bargain!
It was the late 1930s and early 40s. The adults looked to the movies to relieve their fear of the Depression or the anxiety of war. I just enjoyed the fantasy lives I saw. The small town, backwater existence did not seem dull or lackluster because several times a week I was transported by Hollywood.
Now as I reflect on that time, I see the entrance the movies gave me into stories and music, and I remember that my parents walked with me, and the world was a place of safety and endless delight.
